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Selma Munter Borchardt (1895-1968) was an educator, lawyer, labor leader, and lobbyist (Notable American Women).

Early Life
Selma Munter Borchardt was born to Newman and Sara (nee Munter) Borchardt in Washington, D.C. on December 1, 1895.(Biographical Dictionary) Both of her parents were born in Germany. Her father, Newman, served as an officer during the Civil War. He later worked as a civilian quartermaster for the United States Army. Newman and Sara Borchardt had seven children, four of whom died. Selma and two of her brothers survived.

Education
Selma Borchardt was a graduate of Washington's Central High School, a Washington, D.C. public school, in 1914. She received her B.S. in education from Syracuse University in 191. She received an A.B. from Syracuse in 1922.

The American Institute for Free Labor Development (AIFLD) was a labor education institute founded by the AFL-CIO in the western hemisphere. It existed from 1961 to 1997. AIFLD largely operated in the Caribbean, Middle and South America and was responsible for helping to create and support "democratic and free" trade unionism in Latin America.

Funding
It received funding and support from the US government, mostly through USAID (United States Agency for International Development). In the 1980s, it began receiving funds from the NED (National Endowment for Democracy), which is funded through the USAID budget of the U.S. State Department. AIFLD also received support from businesses with interests in supporting Latin American businesses.

Programs
AIFLD supported Latin American trade unions through a number of activities and programs. AIFLD sought to create national labor federations in Latin American countries. They also provided leadership training for Latin American trade unionists.

One of AIFLD's primary programs was "Union-to--Union," which offered labor education classes for young trade unionists at the Front Royal Institute in Virginia.

American Center for International Labor Solidarity (1997)
In October 1995, John Sweeney succeeded Thomas R. Donahue as President of the AFL-CIO. Sweeney merged AIFLD with the Asian-American Free Labor Institute, the African-America Labor center, and the Free Trade Union Institute to form the American Center for International Labor Solidarity (ACILS).

Records
In 2014, the records of the American Center for International Labor Solidarity, which includes AFILD records, were transferred to the University of Maryland, College Park.